Plantings down an estimated seven per cent
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has released its winter wheat planting numbers and the numbers show a drop of about seven per cent.
According to the report, 36,609,000 acres have been planted for 2016, down from the 39,461,000 acres in 2015; between 2014 and 2016, winter wheat acres are down 14 per cent.
The breakdowns by wheat class are as follows:
- Hard Red Winter wheat’s seeded area is estimated at about 26.5 million acres, representing a nine per cent decrease from 2015. Nebraska’s seeded acreage was a record low.
- Soft Red Winter wheat’s seeded area is expected to be about 6.72 million acres, a five per cent decrease from last year. New Jersey’s seeded acreage was a record low.
- White Winter wheat’s planted acreage is about 3.43 million acres, up about one per cent from 2015.
The NASS didn’t cite any reasons for the possible decline, but lower crop prices may be among them.
Marsha Boswell, a spokeswoman for Kansas Wheat, told the Associated Press the state’s rainy fall could be a factor in the decreased acreage.
The wet fields delayed soybean harvests, which in turn led to a delay in winter wheat planting.
Other states with a drop in winter wheat planting include:
- Oklahoma (4.9 million acres in 2016 vs. 5.3 million acres in 2015)
- Texas (5.3 million acres in 2016 vs. six million in 2015)
- Kansas (8.5 million acres in 2016 vs. 9.2 million in 2015)
Give us your thoughts on the decrease in winter wheat planting. Did you plant less winter wheat than usual? If so, what led to the decision?